It Was a Ring Me Quilt

Last week was mostly spent piecing Ring Me, the quilt I started in a workshop with Amanda Jean Nyberg. As I mentioned in my last blog post, after making 50 blocks, I decided the quilt seemed sort of plain, and that with a lot of solid scraps still left in the bin I should play around with other layouts.

I made a whole lot more 1-1/2" X 7" pieced strips, added them to white strips, and sewed them onto two sides of a block.

Because I set the blocks on point, I had to make setting triangles for the outside edges.

This is my first layout of that idea. After posting it on Instagram, and asking for input, the majority of commenters thought the side triangles were too heavy. They basically concurred with my own impression.

Then I made more 1-1/2" strips that I pieced onto white triangles. Better. But I wasn't happy with the corner. Last night I went to bed with this on the design wall. 

This morning I positioned a couple more blocks over the corner, and I like it better, though it will take a bit of a remake there. The black line is where I will trim the quilt when I've finished quilting it. Now the quilt design isn't "Ring Me," so I need a new name!

This is what I faced in my sewing room this morning! Yikes! What a jumble! Working with scraps is messy business. Little bits of thread are everywhere. I even found some on Hogan's back! But I'm certain that once the top is done, and scrappy binding is cut and pieced, the remaining scraps will be set to rights. I'm also sure that the aqua canvas bin (far left), where I store solid scraps, will be downright spacious! 

Then, by Friday my entire sewing room needs to be broken down to make way for Tay and Aesa, 8 and 9 year-old grandsons who are coming from Kansas City for eight days. This space needs to be a bedroom!

In other exciting news - at least to me - I've bought a sewing machine like this one. Just today I plunked down money for a Bernina 770 QE (Quilter's Edition). I'm wriggling with anticipation to get it!

Al, the owner of Sharky's Vac 'n Sew in Wildwood, Florida, has become a Bernina dealer in the past month. I have been a Bernina owner since 1976 and think it's the best brand of sewing machine made. So when Al was willing to accept my two year-old Janome 1600QCT as trade-in, my dream of owning a Bernina with a 10-inch harp came true. I first used the 770QE machine in a workshop at QuiltCon in Savannah, and immediately loved it! I've asked to take possession of it the week of November 19. No sense having a new sewing machine in the house calling my name while grandies are here. So that's something fun to anticipate!

Also this week is my interview with Pat Sloan, for American Patchwork and Quilting Radio/Podcast.

I'll chat with Pat by phone this Thursday afternoon, and our conversation will be broadcast live on Monday December 3, from 4-5 pm Eastern time. After that it will be available on the podcast.

So many good things to look forward to, including seeing our daughter and grandsons. I'm walking on clouds these days! Linda